mcdonald



sept. 25, 192s. 1,685,499

L.. R. MC DGNLD DI SPLAY APPARATUS W INVENToR. .L4 l

A TTORNEY Sept. 25, 19282 L. R. MCDONALD DISPLAY APPARATUS Filed Nov.17, `1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 fic-9.3

J7 fr? NVENTOR, 06m Zz ccmajal,

`A TTORNEM 'I'.YIIIIIA 'Il I y Sept 25, 192s.

L. R. MCDONALD DI SPLAY APPARATUS Filed NOV- l'T, 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet INVEN TUR.

mkww

A TTORNEYq Sept. 25, 1928..

R. MCDQNALD DISPLAY APPARATUS Filed Nov. lT, w26 4 Shams-Sheet 4ATTORNEY Y Patented Sept. 25, 1928.

UNITED STATES l LESLIE R. MCDONALD, OF WESTMOUNT, MONTREAL, QUEBEC,CANADA.

DISPLAY APPARATUS.

Application filed November 17, 1926.

My invention relates to that class of display apparatuses wherein theplacards of a series, mounted in a suitable frame work, are movedsuccessively, from one view position laterally into another viewposition, then transversely into a thirdview position, from `thatlaterally, in a direction the reverse of the rst movement, into a fourthview position, and, jlinally, transversely into the first view positionagain; and objects of my improvements are to simplify the mechanism bywhich these movements are brought about; to make the operating mechanismdurable, accurate and dependable in operation; to so locate themechanism that it will be protected from accidental interference ordisarrangement; to provide for the efiicient'lubrication of themechanism so that relubrication `will only be required at comparativelylong inn tervals; to move the placards but one at a time, so that theperiod of display of any one placard will be increased; and to assemblethe elements of the apparatus in compact and attractive form, wherebyits appeal to the observer is increased, and its durability as anadvertising or publicity means will be enhanced.

The means whereby these, and other desirable results are obtained, Iwill now proceed to explain.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus, portionsof the casings being broken away to more clearly' illustrate theconstruction; Fig. 2 is an end view; Fig. 3 is a top view, medialportions being broken awa7 to shorten the figure; Fig. 4 is alongitudinal sectional view of the placard floor of the apparatus, takenon the line 4.-4.of Figs. 1 and 8 looking down, the outer casing and theplacards and the holders 20being removed; Fig. 5 is a similar viewshowing the placards in iranien; Fig. 6 is a similar view takensubstantially on the line (SW6 of Figs. 1 and 3; Fi 7 isa similar view,taken substantially onv the 'same line, looking up, a medial port-imivbeing omitted to shorten the ligure; Fig. S is a sectional view, with amedial portion `broken away to shorten the figure, taken on the line S-8of Fig. 1, looking to the left, the reflectors, bulbs and wiring beingomitted: Fig. 9 is a view of the under side of the sliding rack bar,medial parts being broken out to shorten the figure; Fig. 10 is a sideview of the same; Fig. 11 is an end view of a placard holder; Fig. 12 isa top view of one end of a placard holder; Fig. 13

Serial No. 148,809.

is a plan view of a det-ail of parts of pinion, rack bar and transverseshifting mechanism; Fig. 14 is a view of the same parts taken as lookingup on Fig. 13; Fig. 15 is a cross sec tional view, taken on the line15-15 of Fig. 1, looking down, somewhat enlarged, of the moulding bar of4the case; and Fig. 16 is a cross sectional view of an end moulding,enlarged as compared with Fig. 3 taken when viewed from the left as online 16-16 of Fig. 1, looking up. Figs. 13 and 14 are on an enlargedscale, as compared with Figs. 1 to 7 and Figs. 8 to 12 are on a stillfurther enlarged scale.

The apparatus is mounted in a suitable frame, which is shown, as beingprovided with ends 1, 2; bottom 3; and top 4.l Suitable facing elementsor mouldings areV placed around the sides of the apparatus, as 5, 6, '7and 8, and a center moulding9 divides the space on each side intotwocompartments, the construct-ion being the .same on bot-h sides of theframe. rlhese mouldings are provided with suitablegrooves to receive andhold the glass, 10, 10.

Bracket-s 11, 12, on the ends 1, 2, support reflectors 13, 14, housinglight bulbs 15, 15, connected by suitable wiring, as 1G, withv a sourceof electric current, not shown.

The-reflectors are, preferably, adjustable, as by means of bolts 17, 17,passing through the brackets and the reflectors ends and secured by wingnuts 18, 1S. This provides for a proper illumination of the faces of theplacards. y

A series of placard holders, 20, 20, preferably made of two flat bars orstrips of met-al, spaced apart by suit-able studs or rivets 21, so as toaccommodate the bottom of a placard, 22, between` them, and alsopreferably rounded inwardly at their ends, as shown in Fig. 12, arearranged to slide longitudinally and laterally on a plate 23 forming thebottoni of the placard compartments of the frame.

Springs 25, 25, yieldably press the tops of the placards in the righthand compartment backward, and similar springs 26, 2Gpressv the tops ofthe placards in the left hand com-v partment forward, thus assuring theproper vertical alignmentof each placard when itis in place to beshifted longitudinally. The shifting` of -the placards is done by thefollowing'mechanism.

An electric motor is mounted below the frame, it-s shaft 31 carrying aworm 32, meshi ngwith a worm gear 33, on a shaft 34, mount:

lOO

All

ed in a bearing 35, in thebottomot a grease cu p 36 carried byv thecasing of the motor 30. The upper end of the shaft 34 passes up throughthe bottom 3 ot the fra-me, and carries a pinion 87, meshing with theteeth 38, 38 on al rack bar 39, which slides on thc bot;- tom 23 oit'the frame.

The upper edges and ends of the rack bar 89 yentend out beyond its rackteeth; and the uudersides ol the ends are provided With riblikemen'ibers el. The parts are so proportioned that these ribs will passabove the teeth ofthe pinion 37, and will intercept `a ring l2journalled' on the end of the shaft 34%.

The rack bar-is also provided, upoits upperfsidc with flanges 113;435which serve' tto actuatc the mechanism"for pushingl the piacarostransversely,as will beA explained later.

Centrally ol! tlicupper side of they rack bar two arms l0 arepi`voted,'their free endsfbeing pivotcd-tosl'des 4l?, 48 adapted'to'sft'raddl-e and slide along the edges on opposite sides of the plateQ3, being held to duty by suchsuitable means as a stop or flange 459 on4the facml 5A- a Each slide is provided with 'a dog 5l or 52 pivotcd toits upper face and provided with a slot into which projects a stop pinon the slide. B'y swinginga dog itspivot the corner oit one end 55,'which may be called the heel, may be thrown out past the end of theslide and by swinging the dog in the other direction a corner of itsother end 56,' which may be called the toe, may be thrown inward towardthe placards.

\ Towardthe ends of the frame are Stops 57, 58 adapted to arrest theheels of the dogs, when pushed toward the stops.'

On the upper side of the plate 3 a rack bar race is 'formed Within a ribor flange 60', the sides of which are parallel; While the ends arepartially sloping o r diagonal, as at 6l.

On the under side of the plate 23 are pivcted two arms, each provided atone end with a pin 651 and, at the other en'd, being l iiilfrcd b v aslot and pin Connection, ivith a slide `68, traveling between Suitableguides, one end of the slide turning up through a slot in the plate 23and carrying a placard packer 69.

The pins 65 lie in thepath of movement of the flanges 43 on the rackbar; so that the movements of the rack bar Will rock thc arms 63, 64 andcause iirst one and then the other o'l.l the placard packers (i9 to bepushed in against the series of placards behind them;

The operation of my apparatus is as fol# lows1- A number ofplacardsvmounted in their holders are assembled on the placard floor ofthe apparatus, thcnumber'employed being preferably an unequal number, sothat `one vplacard compartment willy contain one more other figures showthe mechanism inpositions appropriate for this position ot' the placard.lV ith the motor in operation so that the pinion 3,7.: @whoreinitiales.. er l and 13, iS given an anti-clockwise movement, this cycleof 0pcrations takes place The pinion pushes the rack bar to the right,causing'- the right hand end of the rack bar to meet thc diagonal endGlof the compartment Within the iange 60,l and to travel inward toward theother side of the compartment. The other end of the rack on' the rackbar travels to the right of the pinion and backward` around it until theedge vof therack bar is broughtl against the back side of thecompartment G0. In this movement the ring 42, traveling inside" oftherib 41,' prevents the rack bar from escaping fromthepinionl The movementof the rack bar to` the'r'ight causes the arm 45 tor push its slide 47along until the heel of the dog 51. strikes the stop 5'?, rocking thetoe of the dog over behind the end oli the rearmost placardSimultaneously the slide 48 has reached the endof its travel to theright and has' carried the placard holder in front of it over intoproper position for shi'ftii'ig to the rear. The travel ot' thev placard holder is limited by thestopTO and its reverse movementis",preventced` by another sto) 7l. l

' he movement of the left hand endl of the rack bar around the pinion37,l causes the flange 43 toT engage the pin 65 of arm' 64, pushing theplacard packer 69 in against the placard holders and shitting themltransverselyso as to leave a clearspace to receive next placard movedfrom right to let't at therear. The rack bar then travels from-right toleft pushing the slides 47, 48 in thatv direction,` the dog of 47engaging and pushing ybefore it the rearmost placard carrier,V While thedogofllfl swings 'forward as it slides back past the adjacent placardhc'ilder.-

As the end ot the rack han swings around the l'iinion", and ivhen theend of the front placard holder has been s hiftedfar enough to therightto clear tlieholdersi'n the left hand compartment, the flange i3encounters p in 6 5 on arm 645 rocking that erid of the a rni` bacl wardand so causing its placard packer G9 to push the placard carriers andtheir placards the letthand compartment all forward, so as to leave roembehind them for the placard carrierWhichadvanrcs from right to left atthe rear o' the right hand compartment.

The. continued movement the rack bar to the left causes the flange fir-3to clear the pin ot arm 64, leaving theslide 68 and placard packer 69free to ymove bac-k to the rear when the forward end of the Aplacardcarrier encounters the outwardly sloping end of the packer and pushespast it, shoving the packer back behind thevcarrier, the vcarriercontinuing its movement until it reaches the stop 72.

Th rack bar then is moved by the pinion.

lla

'ith L ffl 37 to the Yfront of the rack bar compartment, the packer 69on arm 63 pushes the carriers in the right hand compartment to the rear,the dog- 52 on slide 48 engages the front carrier. in the left handcompartment and pushes it to thel right, and the slide 47 and its dog 51are returned to the right, also.

The cycle of operation then repeats itself, long as the pinion 37 isturned by the motor.

The corners of the stop 7l, past which the carriers are pushedtransversely, are/preferably curved or rounded off to insurethe ends ofthe carriers slipping past them and into place, if, because ot back lashin the mechanism, or other variation of movement, the rarrie s7 endsmight not otherwise fully clear the stop.

This construction permits the rack bar compartment to be suppliedliberally with grease to facilitate the movements of the rack bar andits connections; and as the apparatus is used with the coi'npartmentlevel and closed in below the placard floor, this lubrication will servefor a comparatively long period without renewal or replenishment.

The box 36, also, may be filled with a heavy oil or grease, so that theparts within it travel in a lubricant the volume of which is largeenough to dispense with frequent reF plenishment or change.

Such provisions for lubrication are important. For the apparatus isintended to run during long periods ot the day and from day to day,without the direct supervision of a mechanician or operator.

It will be understood that details ot construction of the apparatus maybe modified, as by the substitution of mechanical equiva` lents, withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States, isz-- l. Iny a display apparatus,the combination ot case provided with a plurality of placardcompartments therein. a. series of placard carriers` transterablydisposed in said compartments, means for shitting a placard arrierlaterally, mean-s for shitting it transversely, such placard shiftingmeans embracing a reciprocable rack bar and a rotating pinion having afixed position and in mesh with the rack bar and means for rotating thepinion continuously.

2. In a display apparatus, the combination of a case provided with aplurality of placard compartments therein, a series of placard carriers,transferably disposed in said compartments, reciprocable means forshifting a placard carrier laterally, reciprocable means for shifting ittransversely, such placard shifting `means embracing a reciprocable rackbar and a rotating pinion having a fixed position and in mesh with therack bar, and means for rotating the pinion continuously.

3. In a display apparatus, the combination ot a 'ase provided with aplurality of placard compartments therein, a series of placard carriers` transterably disposed in said compartments, means Vt'or shiftinga placard carrier laterally, means for shitting it transversely, suchplacard shifting means embracing a double sided rack bar, having acontinuous series of teeth along both sides and around its ends, guideelements forming an enclosed compartment within which the bar isslidably disposed and guided in reciprocatory and oscillatory movements,an actuating pinion having a fixed position and in mesh with said rackbar, and means for rotating the pinion.

4. In a display apparatus, the combination of a case provided with aplurality of placard compartments, a series oil' placard carriersslidably disposed therein, means for shifting a placard carrierlaterally and means for shifting it transversely, such means embracingan actuating pinion having a iixed position, a rack bar track, aslidable bar, provided with a continuous series of rack teeth around thesame meshing with the pinion, means for maintaining continuous contactbetween the rack teeth and the pinion, whereby the rack bar isreciprocated from side to side and carried around the pinion.

5. In a display apparatus, the combination of a case provided with aplurality of placard compartments, a series of placard carriers slidablydisposed therein, an actuating pinion having a lixed position, a rackbar track, a slidable rack bar provided with a loop rack thereon andcontinuously in mesh with the pinion, and means, actuated by the raclrbar, for successively sliding the carrier groups laterally andtransversely.

6. In a display apparatus, the combination of a case provided with aplurality of pla ard compartments, a series ot placard carriers slidablydisplosed therein, means for shifting the placard carriers laterally andtransversely .embodying an actuating pinion having a fixed position. arack bar track, a sli dable rack iai' provided with a loop rack thereonand continuously in mesh with the pinion, and means, actuated by therack bar and displaceable by the lateral movement ot' a carrier, lorsuccessively sliding the ari-ier groups transversely.

7. In a display apparatus, the combination of a case provided with aplurality oit placard compartments, a series of placard carriersslidably disposed therein, means for shifting the placard carrierslaterally and transversely embodying carrier engaging means, anactuating unit, a rigid, slidable transferring' unit moved bodily andcontinuously, longiJ llt) lll)

tudi'mlly` und lalerally iu a reCpreefvory patlrby the aletualiug unitand actuating the earner engaging; means.

,8. In a display apparatus, lille combination of a case provided with upluruly 0l placard compartments, a Ser-les of placard Carriers sldablydisposed' therein, means Afor Shilling chev pl Heard' Carriers laterallyu nd transversely embodyng un actuating unit, a rigid, Slidablellmlserfmg unit, moved continuously longitudinally und 'lterally in :1reeprocfv tory path bylehe zletugvtlng unil)` eu'rrleren gagging meansYfor leeral Shilling, and carrier group' moving); memm for transverseShifting, periodically actuated und. released by the trunsjl'erringunit.

LESLIE l. MeDONlxLl);

